Corporate Social Responsibility Practitioners Research Articles

Challenges facing practitioners when implementing CSR strategies: the case for the Brazilian mining industry

PurposeMining activities can promote development despite issues of environmental and social impact; however, corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation is still an issue in the industry, which has received little attention in the literature and almost none to the operational level. This paper aims to address this gap by adopting the perspective of CSR practitioners to explore the way mining companies implement CSR at site level.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses an exploratory approach with in-depth interviews to investigate site-level CSR implementation and challenges in the context of mining in Brazil.FindingsThis study identifies primary challenges in CSR implementation and several ways in which they might be addressed. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper identifies for the first time two implementation-hindering aspects of the routine of CSR practitioners – excessive time spent at the office as opposed to in the field engaging in the community and a disproportionate amount of time spent on complaint management. In addition, this paper demonstrates the applicability of stakeholder theory in the CSR field, highlighting the need for increased collaboration among internal and external stakeholders to advance CSR implementation.Originality/valueThis study adopts the perspective of CSR practitioners, who are key stakeholders in CSR implementation, working in mining sites in Brazil, as the impact of mining can be especially marked in developing countries.

How can sustainable business models distribute value more equitably in global value chains? Introducing “value chain profit sharing” as an emerging alternative to fair trade, direct trade, or solidarity trade

AbstractGlobal supply chains often distribute value inequitably among the Global North and South. This perpetuates poverty and contributes to indecent work in raw material‐producing countries, thus creating challenges to sustainable development. For decades, corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable business model innovations have aimed to distribute value more equitably across global value chains, for instance via fair trade, alternative trade, and direct trade. This article examines a novel and hitherto understudied innovation for equitable value distribution in global supply chains: “value chain profit sharing.” We draw on interview and archival data from two cases of social entrepreneurs working in the coffee sector to develop a generalized model. One of the model's key features is that the entrepreneur pays suppliers in multiple installments that reflect market conditions (as opposed to a single lump sum based on prediction). We show how this can increase value creation, appropriation, and equitable distribution. Although our research suggests that this model may be highly contingent on leaders' skills, resources, sense of place, and accountability to suppliers, we find no evidence that its applications are limited to specific countries or sectors. Our research further extends extant theory by showing how “value chain profit sharing” may relieve some of the tensions often associated with sustainable business models, including distributing value to suppliers while maintaining financial solvency; creating value while pursuing a social mission; providing benefits to suppliers without curtailing their market opportunities; responding to market conditions while maintaining commitments to suppliers; and scaling without diluting benefits. It thereby contributes to the literatures on sustainable business model innovations, equitable value distribution in global supply chains, novel application of revenue‐sharing contracts, and innovative methods of profit sharing. It furthermore provides actionable guidance for social entrepreneurs, corporate social responsibility practitioners, and supplier cooperatives aiming to achieve more equitable value distribution and sustainable supply chains.

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Brand Awareness of Telecommunication Industry in Ghana

Background: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has attracted a lot of attention from academics and CSR practitioners over the years. But there is no universally accepted definition of the term CSR. Aim: This paper examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on brand awareness construct of brand equity. Method: Extant literature reveals that little is known about CSR activities during an industrial crisis like covid-19 pandemic, most of the available research works in this area were carried out on developed countries and in the case of the telecommunication industry in Ghana, the scope of studies appear narrow as individual telecommunication companies were used as case studies and reported findings are inconclusive. Convenience sampling procedure was employed in which questionnaires were administered to 800 respondents across the 16 regions of Ghana. The field data was analyzed using inferential statistics (OLS regression and correlation analysis) and descriptive statistics. Findings: The study found that both ethical and philanthropic responsibilities of CSR positively relate to brand awareness and brand loyalty constructs of brand equity of the telecommunication industry in Ghana at statistically significant levels.

How improved understanding of what constitutes “value” may lead to better underpinning of corporate social responsibility (CSR)

PurposeThe aim of this conceptual paper, predicated on a hermeneutic literature review, is to improve understanding of the nature of value continues to be extensively studied with its ability to create competitive advantage. Understanding what constitutes value improves corporate social responsibility (CSR) comprehension, including managerial CSR values. This paper aligns with studies into value and/or CSR, whether hermeneutic or otherwise.Design/methodology/approachThis study provides a reflexively critical understanding of the value literature. It focuses on the “identifying” stage of a hermeneutic circle (identifying central terms, core journals and seminal authors). A hermeneutic helix is proposed to better reflect the need of constant re-interpretation of the relevant literature.FindingsThemes include value location (value in exchange, value in use, value in meaning and value in context); architecture (pathways, constellations and networks); creation versus determination; and value types.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper neither seeks to define value nor delve into the overarching value discourses. It does, however, refer to the antecedents for these areas. As a hermeneutic literature review, it lacks empirical testing.Practical implicationsCSR practices are strongly influenced by personal values. Hence, CSR practitioners must identify the processes involved and differentiate between the sought value and value types.Social implicationsThe paper could engender better understanding gaps between stakeholder attitudes and practices, i.e. consumers self-identifying as “green” may not engage in ecologically sound practices. As discussed herein, the value sought by university students influences where (and what) to study.Originality/valueOutdated notions such as value propositions are widely used; value may be proposed; however, only stakeholders can take value. What constitutes value is under-represented in the CSR literature. Hence, terms such as value and values (i.e. value types) are incorrectly used interchangeably.

Innovations in global sports brands management: the case of FC Barcelona’s Barça Museum

ABSTRACT Purpose Ongoing improvements in sports management, marketing, fan experience, as well as corporate social responsibility (CSR) must be implemented by professional team sport organisations (PTSO). Yet, little is known about how and why PTSOs account for the impacts of their CSR initiatives. Design This case study analyses a one-of-a-kind sport for development museum. Curated by FC Barcelona’s Barça foundation, this innovative museum was designed to showcase, and account for, Barça’s social impacts. Findings Four main sections of the Museum are leveraged to translate the claim that Barça programs provide positive social impact. Research Contribution This paper illustrates how a museum becomes a significant asset for convincing and activating both fans of a PTSO as well as sponsors of a sport-related foundation. Practical Implications This study invites CSR practitioners to reflect about innovations in how they account for the impact of their programs. Value How this unique SfD museum contributes to FC Barcelona’s efforts of becoming més que un club, or more than a club – and therefore allowing FC Barcelona to escape market logic on a planetary scale – is also discussed.

Saving the World? How CSR Practitioners Live Their Calling by Constructing Different Types of Purpose in Three Occupational Stages

Much attention in the meaningful work literature has been devoted to calling as an orientation toward work characterized by a strong sense of purpose and a prosocial motivation beyond self-gain. Nonetheless, debate remains as to whether individuals change or maintain their calling, and especially whether they live their calling differently in different occupational stages. In this article, we respond to this conundrum through an analysis of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) occupation—substantiated by interviews with 57 CSR practitioners from Swedish international companies who are living their calling. We demonstrate that social/commercial tensions affect these CSR practitioners, fueled by a divide between their social aspirations and the commercial goals, and prompt them to respond in a way that impacts how they construct the purpose of their work. Subsequently, we induce three stages of the CSR occupation—early-, mid- and late-stage—and conceptualize three types of purpose in each stage—activistic, win–win and corporate purpose. By uncovering how and why CSR practitioners respond to social/commercial tensions and construct different types of purpose in each stage of the CSR occupation, we show that individuals can live the same calling in multiple ways. Hence, our article advances the meaningful work literature as well as studies of micro-CSR.

Wheat and chaff: the degree to which strategic management principles are integrated within corporate social responsibility reporting among large Canadian firms

This empirical study examines the degree to which strategic principles are reflected in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practices among Canada’s largest corporations. In a two-phased approach, three time periods of corporate disclosure from 2016 to 2020 were studied. Using an organizational flowchart derived from the literature, CSR disclosures were organized according to six degrees of strategic integration. Analysis reveals a bimodal distribution of firms, with one mode representing firms with a fully integrated reporting framework, and another mode representing firms with the partial integration of strategic management principles. Inconsistent patterns of progress in reporting practices were discovered, with some firms demonstrating improved reporting practices while others stagnated or declined. Overall, a generalized improvement in strategic integration during our multi-year examination was observed. While this work has implications for corporate social responsibility theory, recommendations for CSR practitioners are also discussed.

Corporate social responsibility and comparative capitalism frameworks: Evidence from the United States, Poland, and Italy

AbstractUsing the varieties of capitalism perspective and institutional theory as frameworks, we analyze cross‐cultural differences between firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) approaches. We investigate three countries with different institutional settings: the United States, representing a liberal market economy; Italy, representing a coordinated market economy; and Poland, an example of a dependent market economy. We examine the differences in their CSR stances, operationalized through Porter and Kramer's concept of the four CSR categories: good citizenship, mitigating harm from the value chain, transforming value chain activities, and strategic philanthropy, based on data from 269 questionnaires administered to managers attending executive seminars at the authors' universities. Focusing on stakeholder engagement activities (SEAs) across the three economies, we show that companies in all three countries engage in the four categories of CSR activities. However, using a series of tests and rankings on means and standard deviations, followed by the subsequent analysis of variance, we argue that SEAs are emphasized more in American than in Polish and Italian companies, with the latter two countries showing more subtle differences despite some institutional similarities. Our results shed light on how different capitalistic models are associated with different CSR approaches, allowing policy‐makers and practitioners to better tackle CSR objectives in different countries.

Where is the CSR-HRM Nexus? From Different CSR Practitioners’ Experiences

As human and social sustainability issues have received increasing attention as grand challenges at a macro-level, corporations have addressed those issues through their corporate sustainability (CS) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. In this context, we have observed the emergence of a dedicated CS and CSR function within corporations and, in turn, the emergence of a group of people who work for the organizational CS/CSR agenda—CSR practitioners. Despite a significant increase in research and practice connecting CS/CSR and human resource management (HRM)—the CSR-HRM nexus, we know little about how these emerging practitioners are recruited, developed, trained, and rewarded. Hence, our study sets out to explore CSR practitioners’ perception of the HR practices supporting their roles, which can indicate the status of CSR in organizations. By applying the HR process lens in strategic HRM research, we explore CSR practitioners’ perceptions of the HR practices towards their roles and career and how their perceptions influence behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. We adopt a qualitative research design, involving 68 in-situ interviews with CSR practitioners: in-house CSR managers and external CSR service consultants in South Korea. Through qualitative analysis, we compare how these two types of CSR practitioners perceive four core HR practices: career planning and development, recruitment, training, and compensation. We found CSR practitioners perceived an overall lack of HRM roles in this process and played as boundary spanners for the CSR-HRM nexus.

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility as a Marketing Investment on Firms’ Performance: A Risk-Oriented Approach

In light of the growing interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is still controversy regarding its impact on firms’ performance. In this paper, we examine the impact of CSR initiatives, as a marketing investment, on firms’ performance. We treat CSR initiatives as investment and, consequently, the returns appear over the long term. We use the stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) approach which is a forward-looking financial market-based metric that captures the firm’s long-term performance. We focus on the banking industry as it confronts a variety compound of risk. We find that CSR implementation is positively reflected in profit efficiency, regardless of the strategic commitment to implementing CSR and bank size, as these variables do not influence the CSR–performance relationship. However, we find that bank age and competitive positioning have a significant impact on the CSR–performance relationship. Our study provides valuable insights to CSR practitioners and researchers, especially in the banking sector. We provide empirical evidence on the importance of CSR and its positive impact on bank performance in Egypt as one of the emerging markets.

How CSR practitioners reformulate their calling through social-symbolic work practices over time

Calling has gained importance in the career and organization scholarship as a key concept to better explain the meaningfulness of work from a humanistic perspective. On the contrary, much debate remains about the ways a calling–and the meaningfulness intertwined with it–can transform over time. To respond to this problem in the literature, we investigate the calling of corporate social responsibility (CSR), thereby offering an analysis of sixty-six interviews with fifty-seven CSR practitioners working in Swedish international companies. Our paper indicates that the social-commercial tensions affecting CSR practitioners, exacerbated by the schism between their social aspirations and the commercial goals embedded in their work, prompt them to engage with social-symbolic work practices that have a bearing on the meaningfulness they assign to their CSR calling over time. As a result, we theorize three predominant sources of meaningfulness that CSR practitioners ascribe to their CSR calling–activistic purpose, win-win purpose and corporate purpose–and outline that CSR practitioners continuously reconstruct them as they engage with social-symbolic work practices throughout their early, mid and late career stage. Our article sheds new light on the existence of discrepant sources of meaningfulness behind a calling, specifying that these sources change depending on career stages. In so doing, it contributes to the career and organization scholarship as well as the literature on the professionalization of CSR.

Framing sports' corporate social responsibility: US women's vs men's soccer leagues

PurposeThis investigation's purpose is to compare coverage of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) behaviors of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and Major League Soccer (MLS). The goals are (1) to extend CSR analyses beyond organizational reports and (2) to compare coverage of professional sports teams' CSR behaviors across genders.Design/methodology/approachSpecifically, this quantitative content analysis compared local newspaper coverage of the socially responsible behaviors of the three NWSL and MLS teams owned and operated by the same organizations in Portland, Houston and Orlando.FindingsThe NWSL teams received significantly less and more negative coverage than the MLS teams. Moreover, the NWSL coverage was more individualistic, more focused on ethics and quoted individual team players more frequently, while the MLS coverage was more collective, focused on philanthropy and quoted team organization members more frequently.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough intentionally based on a sample of six teams, this study's results suggest the biases in coverage of women's sports teams extend beyond the playing field to their corporate social responsibility behaviors, reporting and news coverage.Originality/valueAs one of the first studies to analyze media coverage of professional sports team's CSR activities and to compare their socially responsible behaviors across genders, the results provide compelling implications for CSR scholars and practitioners, especially in the sports industry.

The Moral Relationality of Professionalism Discourses: The Case of Corporate Social Responsibility Practitioners in South Korea

Building a coherent discourse on professionalism is a challenge for corporate social responsibility (CSR) practitioners, as there is not yet an established knowledge basis for CSR, and CSR is a contested notion that covers a wide variety of issues and moral foundations. Relying on insights from the literature on micro-CSR, new professionalism, and Boltanski and Thévenot’s (1991/2006) economies of worth framework, we examine the discourses of 56 CSR practitioners in South Korea on their claimed professionalism. Our analysis delineates four distinct discourses of CSR professionalism— strategic corporate giving, social innovation, risk management, and sustainability transition—that are derived from a plurality of more or less compatible moral foundations whose partial overlaps and tensions we document in a systematic manner. Our results portray these practitioners as compromise makers who selectively combine morally distant justifications to build their own specific professionalism discourse, with the aim to advance CSR within and across organizations. By uncovering the moral relationality connecting these discourses, our findings show that moral pluralism is a double-edged sword that can not only bolster the justification of CSR professionalism but also threaten collective professionalism at the field level. Overall, our study suggests paying more attention to the moral relationality and tensions that underlie professional fields.

Corporate Social Responsibility on Wild Public Networks: Communicating to Disparate and Multivocal Stakeholders

On December 4, 2017, Patagonia launched its “The President Stole Your Land” initiative on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. In so doing, the longtime corporate social responsibility (CSR) leader entered social media in a deliberately inflammatory and political manner. This initiative defies the principles of CSR often touted in the literature and provides for an intriguing case study. We engage in a close textual reading of initiative materials and identify discursive traces to gain insight into the paradoxical workings of CSR in the context of a hypermediated environment. Through analysis of how Patagonia harnesses wide-ranging and contradictory public input, we identify a strategy of communicating CSR to stakeholders with disparate interests. By exploring the intersection of organizational communication, rhetorical studies, and media theory, this article examines the discursive strategies afforded and precluded by wild public networks. We offer three wild public provocations as new discursive tactics for CSR practitioners.

Corporate social responsibility in Vietnam: opportunities and innovation experienced by multinational corporation subsidiaries

PurposeThis study aims to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) with the opportunity- and innovation-based view of multinational subsidiaries (MNSs) in Vietnam. While CSR has traditionally been investigated in the developed market, this paper demonstrates how MNSs can take advantage of their CSR practises and create business opportunities and innovation activities for themselves and local society in Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory qualitative research-based on four MNSs that have practised CSR in Vietnam. Data were collected from 18 individual interviews with managers and business leaders in four case firms.FindingsThis study finds that CSR activities in the studied firms potentially drive new business opportunities and innovation in the form of product, process, idea and management practises. In addition, both opportunities and innovation also benefit MNSs and the local community in Vietnam.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper makes clear that CSR literature varies depending on the different countries or areas where the studies take place and these studies tend to focus on a specific area that was appropriate within a particular socio-economic and political context. Given that the business context in Vietnam is characterised by opportunities and incentives for innovation from the socio-economic of the context of a South East Asian developing market, the research provides an important first step in the integration and consolidation of CSR practises, opportunities and innovation. In light of the findings presented above, the study provides an important contribution to the CSR literature, particularly the CSR practises of multinational corporations (MNCs) in developing countries.Practical implicationsThe study suggests that CSR practitioners in Asian emerging countries should ground themselves in an understanding of the local society and try to gain an understanding of the priorities of local stakeholders. MNCs should develop an appreciation of the context in which CSR is initiated, as addressing such issues often inspires firms to bring in social innovations in the form of products, services and processes and discover or create opportunities based on the emergent social problems through business solutions that overall benefit their business and local stakeholders.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to explore the interaction between MNSs undertaking CSR and business opportunities and innovation in the context of a developing country – Vietnam.

Building a theoretical framework of message authenticity in CSR communication

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative theoretical framework that advances the underdeveloped stream of research that analyses how message authenticity influences the persuasiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical and empirical literature on authenticity is reviewed to provide a comprehensive definition of message authenticity in CSR communication. An integrative theoretical framework is also developed to understand how message authenticity is enhanced through the design of informational content and it improves consumer responses to CSR communication. Findings The framework presented in the paper defends that message authenticity can be integrated in communication models based on three streams of research: identity-based brand management model, attribution theory and heuristic-systematic model. Consumer attributions of message authenticity can be notably improved with a message design based on CSR fit, social topic information and specificity. Authenticity improves message and source credibility by reducing consumer scepticism and enhancing their attributions of corporate expertise and trustworthiness. Indirect benefits of CSR message authenticity include increased consumer purchase, loyalty and advocacy behaviours. Originality/value The value of the paper resides in making the rather underdeveloped and inconclusive literature on authenticity accessible to CSR and communication researchers and practitioners. A theoretical framework is provided for further research that would contribute to improving the knowledge on the role that message authenticity plays in CSR communication.

Multinational enterprises perceptions of the national corporate social responsibility priority issues in South Africa

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the perceptions of multinational enterprises (MNEs) representing four key economic sectors in South Africa regarding what the most important national corporate social responsibility (CSR) priority issues are for the country. This paper also investigates whether MNEs in South Africa are overwhelmed by the number of CSR issues in the country.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research approach was used. Thirty eight semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with CSR practitioners at MNEs in the banking and finance, manufacturing, mining and services sectors. Data were analysed by means of qualitative content analysis.FindingsThe majority of participants in this study indicated that the top three CSR priorities for South Africa in order of importance are education, training and skills development; building and developing local communities and health care and wellness. Another significant finding was that MNEs indicated that there are too many CSR issues in South Africa.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study highlight the need for South Africa to develop a national CSR index which clearly articulates the top CSR priorities of the country. This study explored the views of MNEs from four economic sectors of the South African economy. This study can be expanded to incorporate other sectors.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study provide guidelines to MNEs and firms about the key CSR priorities for the country.Originality/valueAs far as can be ascertained, this is the first study that seeks to identify the key national CSR priority issues for South Africa from the perspective of MNEs operating in the country. This study determines whether MNEs in South Africa are overwhelmed by the number of CSR issues that they are confronted with.

Tools to Create Appropriate Perception of CSR and PR Practitioners Support

The article aggregates a variety of tools aimed to boost awareness and understanding of social responsibility among different groups of shareholders. At the same time the re-search shows a list of tools applicable for public relations (PR) practitioners (not only) to disseminate and promote corporate social responsibility (CSR). This paper emphasizes two groups of tools as qualitative and quantitative. All the tools were analyzed according to the scope of needed activities and interpreted in terms of applicability to the CSR goals.

New Ways Towards Professionalization: The Case of CSR Practitioners

This panel symposium focuses attention on the professionalization of emerging occupations through the case of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professionals. In recent years, a growing number ...

Relational Benefit on Satisfaction and Durability in Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility

These days, companies are moving from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities for short-term profit generation to the ones for achieving economic and social long-term goals. This phenomenon results from the idea that CSR is not a mere cost but can be used as a source of opportunity, innovation and competitive advantage. Deemed as a great business strategy, strategic CSR activities are being emphasized by various stakeholders in the global market. The purpose of this study is to present specific implications and to empirically research the relations among relational benefits, commitment, and authenticity. It identifies the main factors of relationship management in expanding the stakeholder pool and forming relationships for strategic CSR activities. To this end, we conducted a questionnaire survey of 113 CSR practitioners in Korea and analyzed how social, psychological, and economic benefits affect the satisfaction and durability of strategic CSR activities through relational commitment and authenticity. Consequently, social, psychological, and economic benefits have an impact on relationships and, by extension, have a positive effect on relational satisfaction and durability. However, economic benefits affect relational authenticity, but social and psychological benefits do not. As a result, relational benefits cannot affect satisfaction through relationships. Therefore, relational benefits and commitment are more important variables for the satisfaction and durability of strategic CSR activities.